Impact of catalyst type on the techno-economics of dibenzyl toluene as a liquid organic hydrogen carrier

Abstract

Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) offer a promising route for large-scale hydrogen storage and transport under ambient conditions; however, their techno-economic performance is highly sensitive to catalyst selection. This study presents a detailed techno-economic analysis of dibenzyltoluene (DBT) as an LOHC, focusing on the system-level impact of hydrogenation catalyst choice, with dehydrogenation conditions held constant to isolate hydrogenation-driven system effects. Nickel-, ruthenium-, and platinum-based catalysts are evaluated using process simulations incorporating literature-derived kinetics, realistic shipping logistics, and detailed capital and operating cost models. The results show that catalyst choice strongly affects reactor sizing, compression requirements, dibenzyltoluene degradation, and replacement costs, yielding levelised costs of energy (LCOE) between 8.22 and 16.14 A$·kg⁻¹ H₂ depending on catalyst and dehydrogenation heat source. Platinum consistently provides the lowest system-level cost due to faster kinetics and lower operating pressure, despite its high material cost. Sensitivity analysis identifies catalyst replacement rate and platinum recovery as critical economic thresholds. Comparison with liquid hydrogen and ammonia confirms DBT as a competitive and technically mature hydrogen carrier, particularly when low-carbon heat sources are available.

@article{colliss2026ijhe,
  title        = {Impact of catalyst type on the techno-economics of dibenzyl toluene as a liquid organic hydrogen carrier},
  author       = {Colliss, Matthew and Myers, Matthew and Shareef, Zaid and Utikar, Ranjeet P. and Arami-Niya, Arash},
  year         = 2026,
  journal      = {International Journal of Hydrogen Energy},
  volume       = 247,
  pages        = {155689},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2026.155689},
  url          = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S036031992602327X}
}